Q: Congrats on Unity in Action Magazine. How did you come up with the idea for the magazine?
I wanted to help improve the community by sharing more information, education, and perspective on issues that affect families and our community. I believed that working families had the best ideas on how to improve issues like education and I wanted them to have a voice. Also, there are so many great things going on the community that busy working families don’t hear about. Especially with all of the news and important information that is shared online, it is really hard to keep up on the news that affects you and your family.
Innovation in technology changes every month; I challenged myself to create an innovative approach to socio-economic development. I started with what the people needed, and worked my way up. Some of the things that I realized is that there were a lot of great things going on in our community, but no one knew about them. Also I recognized that people needed to share their perspectives with each other- between people, between agencies and the people, between people and government. I realized that in order to help any of the people or families grow, you also have to address the mindset of the peers around them at the same time. You can’t send a drug addict home to a drug community and expect him not to use drugs; nor is it a better solution to tear the family apart with incarceration.
I spent time researching and interviewing people and existing community services. I identified the gaps and created a comprehensive community development initiative that could be used as a tool to help cities build healthier families and communities. Years ago, I designed a plan that would create an umbrella approach that would support, enable, and build families and communities.
Q: What are your goals for the magazine?
We need business, teachers, parents, agencies, EVERYONE to connect with us to stay informed of opportunities to help our community. It really does take a village to raise a child. Unity in Action Magazine and subsidiaries is seeking advertising sponsors, funders, collaborators, and partners, so that we can help existing agencies improve services to at-risk communities, promote the wellness of our community, and help build family-self sufficiency. I want to let President Obama know that Unity in Action Magazine is ready to help serve the nation in an innovative approach to help create jobs and improve socio-economic conditions that particularly affect the African-American community. We are looking for support from the entertainment community, if you know a famous person that could influence the African-American community please contact me today.
Q: How can our readers get involved?
Readers can send in their experiences, perspectives, and ideas on any social and economic topic important to them by phone, fax, email, Facebook, or mail. Purchase the magazine from one of our vendors for only $1: Utop Fashion, Prime Sole, Fresh Catch Fish Market, Home Run. Contact us to become a vendor. Any NFP Group or Youth Club can sell the magazine as a fundraiser to raise money.
Q: How have you managed to have full-time job and get the magazine off the ground?
Not very well. It is nearly impossible to work full-time and attend important business meetings that usually occur during business hours. I would often go to a meeting before work and during lunch, but I would be running late getting back to work. My dedication was always to the community development initiative and no one that I loved understood or accepted that. I was ridiculed and told that I was a failure because I didn’t keep a full-time job for an extended number of years. I had to believe in myself when no one else did, except my grandmother (RIP Grandma Eula 11-17-2011). She told me to ‘prove to them that you can do it.’
Q: Has your daughter influenced your work on the magazine?
She is the reason why I started Unity in Action Magazine, and the reason why I have sacrificed. She helps me be strong and keep moving forward on tough days. My child and yours deserves an America that is true to the definition that our children are taught in school. That America is the example of democracy. That you have a voice in American and you can make a positive change. If you work hard, your dreams can come true.
Q: What is your biggest parenting challenge right now?
Beside providing for her, protecting my daughter from all of the negative influences directed towards our children on TV and music. It is really pathetic that every show on Disney Channel is about girlfriend and boyfriend crap. And, every song on black radio is about sex, drugs, and money. There is no social responsibility. I am so tired of the statement it is the parent’s responsibility to make sure that they don’t watch or listen. These people obviously are not raising kids themselves as a single parent. They don’t understand how much one exposure leaves an impression on a child. Perhaps, if I could stay at home all day and home school my child and keep her completely isolated from other children then that may be possible, but still completely unreasonable. What happened to shows like Bad Gyrls Club only being shown after 10 p.m.?